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Which wire?

MikeDommy

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Just wanted to get an idea of what wire people use for the best flavor. Not coils builds....just the wire. I personally, so far, hate kanthal. Been using Nichrome 80 the most. What do you guys like?
 

MarkS

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Flavor depends on so much more than wire types! N80 or N90 (if you can find it) I would say would be the best for rapid heating. Personally, most of my coils are SS or Kanthal A1. I think I could do a blind test on anyone, after breaking in the build, with exact builds on exact same atomizer, with exact same wicking, etc. and have them try to tell me which wire is in which atomizer based on flavor only and only an incredible small number of people would be able to do it (once you strip out the random luck factor).


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MikeDommy

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Could be just me, but the difference between kanthal and nichrome is like night and day. I get a major metallic flavor with kanthal.
 

BKTOAD

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Could be just me, but the difference between kanthal and nichrome is like night and day. I get a major metallic flavor with kanthal.

I get the exact opposite. Taste is a subjective, funny thing. Seems like a lot of people like NC, but it just doesn't agree with me for whatever reason.

I get a super metallic flavor from nc80, a clean crisp flavor from ss316L, and a slightly muted, more dull flavor from kanthal compared to SS.

I would build all SS, but hard to build complex coils (beyond aliens) with SS without being crazy low resistance. So Kanthal gets a lot of the action for me.

Of course, it could come down to the brand of wire I suppose. Possible I have garbage nc80 and good kanthal, and you have subpar kanthal and kick-ass nc80.
 

MikeDommy

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I get the exact opposite. Taste is a subjective, funny thing. Seems like a lot of people like NC, but it just doesn't agree with me for whatever reason.

I get a super metallic flavor from nc80, a clean crisp flavor from ss316L, and a slightly muted, more dull flavor from kanthal compared to SS.

I would build all SS, but hard to build complex coils (beyond aliens) with SS without being crazy low resistance. So Kanthal gets a lot of the action for me.

Of course, it could come down to the brand of wire I suppose. Possible I have garbage nc80 and good kanthal, and you have subpar kanthal and kick-ass nc80.

Could be the brands, yet I've tried a few. As far as builds, I stick to normal wraps. Maybe a parallel once in a blue moon, but nothing else. I feel the crazy builds are just for kicks. Will be trying SS though.
 

BKTOAD

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Could be the brands, yet I've tried a few. As far as builds, I stick to normal wraps. Maybe a parallel once in a blue moon, but nothing else. I feel the crazy builds are just for kicks. Will be trying SS though.

Have to disagree with advanced builds being "just for kicks". Simple claptons, to me, don't really amaze me vape wise. But a well made fused clapton (with a 36g or smaller wrap) will have much better flavor than simple builds. Aliens and SSFC even better yet. But fused seem to me to be the biggest step in vape quality.

Hadn't vaped a simple coil in over a year. Maybe 2. Decided to try one just for kicks. Thought maybe the advancedcoil benefit was all in my head and I am wasting time building. Took 2 puffs and couldn't rip it out of the rda fast enough.

But, just another instance of flavor and vape quality being subjective.
 

MikeDommy

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Have to disagree with advanced builds being "just for kicks". Simple claptons, to me, don't really amaze me vape wise. But a well made fused clapton (with a 36g or smaller wrap) will have much better flavor than simple builds. Aliens and SSFC even better yet. But fused seem to me to be the biggest step in vape quality.

Hadn't vaped a simple coil in over a year. Maybe 2. Decided to try one just for kicks. Thought maybe the advancedcoil benefit was all in my head and I am wasting time building. Took 2 puffs and couldn't rip it out of the rda fast enough.

But, just another instance of flavor and vape quality being subjective.

I slapped in kanthal helix stapled coils today(was told the flavor was great) and I plan to take them back out tomorrow and go back to my normal wraps. Tastes horrible.
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I get the exact opposite. Taste is a subjective, funny thing. Seems like a lot of people like NC, but it just doesn't agree with me for whatever reason.

I get a super metallic flavor from nc80, a clean crisp flavor from ss316L, and a slightly muted, more dull flavor from kanthal compared to SS.

I would build all SS, but hard to build complex coils (beyond aliens) with SS without being crazy low resistance. So Kanthal gets a lot of the action for me.

Of course, it could come down to the brand of wire I suppose. Possible I have garbage nc80 and good kanthal, and you have subpar kanthal and kick-ass nc80.
The reason could be very much scientific. I watched a video by Dara O'Briain on UK tv talking about why people would want gold cutlery. Turns out the reason is to do with our sense of taste and the contaminants in certain metals. Tasting food off of different spoons gave a different profile to whatever food it was he was eating. Also it turns out that of all the things man has made, stainless steel is almost indestinguishable from gold*. Meaning better taste for the "common people" as it costs a fraction of gold. Just a bit of science that bore it's way into my head lol.

Edit* Taste wise. Obviously it has a different chemical structure, but, when dealing with our taste buds and food eaten from it, it is practically indestinguishable.
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Last edited:

MikeDommy

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
The reason could be very much scientific. I watched a video by Dara O'Briain on UK tv talking about why people would want gold cutlery. Turns out the reason is to do with our sense of taste and the contaminants in certain metals. Tasting food off of different spoons gave a different profile to whatever food it was he was eating. Also it turns out that of all the things man has made, stainless steel is almost indestinguishable from gold. Meaning better taste for the "common people" as it costs a fraction of gold. Just a bit of science that bore it's way into my head lol.

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Good point
 

KarmicRage

Silver Contributor
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
It was quite an interesting watch. Although you are taking someone else's word for it, the way it's explained makes sense. Less impurities in stainless steel and a cleaner taste from food would force me to deduce that stainless would be the best way to go. Flavour and healthwise. Still use Ni80 myself but got some more spools of stainless on the way so we'll see how the venture into 'seriously' advanced builds goes in the coming weeks.

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BKTOAD

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
The reason could be very much scientific. I watched a video by Dara O'Briain on UK tv talking about why people would want gold cutlery. Turns out the reason is to do with our sense of taste and the contaminants in certain metals. Tasting food off of different spoons gave a different profile to whatever food it was he was eating. Also it turns out that of all the things man has made, stainless steel is almost indestinguishable from gold*. Meaning better taste for the "common people" as it costs a fraction of gold. Just a bit of science that bore it's way into my head lol.

Edit* Taste wise. Obviously it has a different chemical structure, but, when dealing with our taste buds and food eaten from it, it is practically indestinguishable.
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Reminds me of prople who have a cilantro allergy. Makes cilantro taste like nothing but metal to those allergic.

Different opinions of vape wire could come down to a personal sensitivity to a particular alloy. Or the different preferences of me and the OP could be as simple as I started building with kanthal and he started with NC. And we got used to the flavor properties of each.

Interesting discussion. At least for me. But, I am easily amused.
 

MikeDommy

Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Reminds me of prople who have a cilantro allergy. Makes cilantro taste like nothing but metal to those allergic.

Different opinions of vape wire could come down to a personal sensitivity to a particular alloy. Or the different preferences of me and the OP could be as simple as I started building with kanthal and he started with NC. And we got used to the flavor properties of each.

Interesting discussion. At least for me. But, I am easily amused.

I agree... half a day with brand new kanthal helix stapled coils and I'm ready to toss them and go back to my N80 lol
 

pulsevape

Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Reminds me of prople who have a cilantro allergy. Makes cilantro taste like nothing but metal to those allergic.

Different opinions of vape wire could come down to a personal sensitivity to a particular alloy. Or the different preferences of me and the OP could be as simple as I started building with kanthal and he started with NC. And we got used to the flavor properties of each.

Interesting discussion. At least for me. But, I am easily amused.
I think you may be onto something there...what wire you started out on......I've tried Nichrome,Kanthal, and SS....I just stick with Kanthal....I like SS,but I find the flavor falls off of it after awhile...I don't know if I find much differnce between Kanthal and Nichrome.....Kanthal seems to heat up slower and I like that..but then I don't use cotton, I only use mesh and I think the experinces may be vastly differnce when it comes to wire and heat.
 

Rooster Cogburn

Memento Mori
VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reddit Exile
VU SWAT
How bout that eclipse, awesome right. What are you guys doing talking coils when there is a total solar eclipse outside?
 

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